International Politics on the World Stage, Brief

This concise text provides students and instructors with a comprehensive overview of world politics, inviting them in a straightforward and accessible way to explore international relations and its new challenges. A hallmark of the text is the authors' position that politics affect the lives of all of us, and that the individual can have an impact, whether small or large, by being politically aware and by taking action.

John T. Rourke, Ph.D., professor emeritus, is former head of the Department of Political Science at The University of Connecticut. He is author of International Politics on the World Stage, Eleventh Edition (McGraw-Hill, 2007); the author of Presidential Wars and American Democracy: Rally ‘Round the Chief (Paragon House, 1993); a coauthor of Direct Democracy and International Politics: Deciding International Issues through Referendums (Lynn Rienner, 1992); the editor of Taking Sides: Clashing Views in World Politics, Twelfth Edition, expanded (McGraw-Hill, 2007) and You Decide: Current Debates in American Politics (Longman, 2005); the author of Making Foreign Policy: United States, Soviet Union, China (Brooks Cole, 1990), Congress and the Presidency in U.S. Foreign Policymaking (Westview, 1985), and numerous articles and papers. He continues to teach and especially enjoys introductory classes. His regard for the students has molded his approach to writinghe conveys scholarship in a language and within a frame of reference that undergraduates can appreciate. Rourke believes, as the theme of this book reflects, that politics affect us all and we can affect politics. Rourke practices what he propounds; his career long involved the universitys internship program and advising one of its political clubs. Additionally, he has served as a staff member of Connecticuts legislature, and has been involved in political campaigns on the local, state, and national levels.

Chapter 1 - Thinking and Caring About World Politics

Previewing the Global Drama

Global Actors: Meet the Cast

How This Book is Structured

World Politics and Your Finances

World Politics and Your Living Space

World Politics and Your Life

You Can Make a Difference

Putting World Events in Context

Introducing Realism and Liberalism

The Nature of Politics: Realism and Liberalism

The Roles of Power and Principles: Realism and Liberalism

Prospects for Competition and Cooperation: Realism and Liberalism

Assessing Reality: Reality and Liberalism

Chapter Summary

Chapter 2 - The Evolution of World Politics

The Evolving World System: Early Development

Ancient Greece and Rome

After the Fall of Rome, A.D. 476 to 1700

The 18th and 19th Centuries

The Evolving World System: The 21st Century

The Rise of the Bipolar System

The Fall of the Bipolar System

The 21st Century: The Genesis of a New System

The Structure of Power in the 21st Century

Security in the 21st Century

(and more...)